Sipho Seepe
no blows barred
Higher education has not escaped the post-1990 debates about societal transformation. In a short space of time we have had conferences, commissions, task teams and the passage of legislation to effect transformation of the system.
Unfortunately, the debates have focused on the crudest and most visible vestiges and symbols of apartheid, such as institutional structures and the racial composition of management, staff profiles and students.
What has been neglected is the very essence and primary function of universities the production, evaluation and dissemination of knowledge.
Knowledge production under apartheid perpetuated the values of apartheid society and thus served as a tool not only to justify but also to maintain and protect grossly unequal economic and social relations. The grounds for knowledge, the sources of intellectual inspiration, the models and agendas of research were marshalled to serve the interests of the ruling minority elite.
The current lack of debate on curricula has not only left this dominant epistemology unexamined, but may continue to academically disable and marginalise many African students and academics.
In an attempt to discard this legacy, South African universities have begun reinventing themselves in a process that entails interrogating and transforming the production of knowledge. The most visible and symbolic form of this process has been the awarding of honorary degrees.
By awarding honorary degrees, institutions should present to the world veritable models worthy of emulation and respect. Recipients should be individuals of integrity who have demonstrated in their life and work high standards of excellence in scholarship, creative activity and public service to the world and nation or to the community.
The fascination with honouring individuals provides an opportunity to establish new criteria for judgement, identifying models of past and present emulation, and to acknowledge superb accomplishments.
For too long universities have been fixated on academic achievement, to the exclusion of other human endeavours and accomplishments. Our preoccupation with struggle has limited our conception of black leadership to the political; we have undervalued numerous strides made in education, science, technology and other fields. Thus so-called politicians (whose best performance is in aping and parroting the master) are portrayed as models of black achievement.
The process of redefinition gives us an opportunity to broaden our understanding of what it means to make a contribution to society. It is within this context that the decision by the University of Natal to bestow on Don Mattera the honorary degree of doctor of literature must be welcomed.
This honour comes at a time when it has become fashionable for institutions to bestow such honours on political figures, sports personalities and social celebrities. Most of these institutions have been motivated by political expediency and opportunism. Some of those paraded as deserving of this honour have not produced anything memorable or any discernible contribution to political thought, intellectual tradition and scholarship.
In contrast, Mattera has distinguished himself as an outstanding journalist, editor, writer and poet. He is a recipient of many awards, including the Steve Biko Literary Prize, the AIDA French Literary Prize, the Kurt Tucholsky Prize (Sweden).
In recognising his talent, the university describes him as “a tireless, fearless and committed cultural figure who does not and will not stop, who boxes with literature, newsprint and politics with the gloves of a heavyweight and the heart of a child”.
Mattera’s award is in the same league as the honorary doctoral awards bestowed posthumously on Bantu Stephen (Steve) Biko and Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe by the University of Venda four years ago.
Biko was so pivotal in the evolution of the black consciousness philosophy that a narrative on the philosophy without reference to him would be meaningless, while the literary contribution of Sobukwe to Africanism remains one of the most lucid since Kwame Nkrumah.
In other words, honorary degrees should be reserved for achievements loftier than mere academic qualifications. At the same time they should not be used to compensate for lack of academic standing.
Worth mentioning also is the decision by the University of the Witwatersrand to confer upon Prof Malegapuru Makgoba, president of the Medical Research Council of South Africa, the high academic distinction of ad hominem professor in molecular immunology.
In doing so, the university has not only sought to redeem itself after its distasteful treatment of Makgoba, it has also remained true to its commitment to academic excellence. With many internationally refereed publications to his credit, Makgoba is considered one of the best scientists in the country and possibly on the continent. Like Mattera, he is the recipient of many prestigious grants, including those from the United Kingdom’s Medical Research Council.
Makgoba’s critique of unscientific thinking on HIV/Aids is devastating in its simplicity. Writing in the prestigious journal Science, he noted: “There is little doubt that HIV causes Aids, as has been demonstrated by many carefully conducted experiments and clinical case studies. In contrast there is no evidence that common African conditions such as poverty, malnutrition and many chronic infectious diseases, by themselves or in combinations, cause characteristic immunodeficiency typical of Aids, that is, progressive depletion of CD4+ cells.”
It is strange that this simple articulation remains inaccessible to some of our leaders.
It is a sad commentary that while the above are illustrative examples of excellence, the same cannot be said of many recipients of honorary doctorates.
In their desperation to ingratiate themselves with those holding political office, some institutions have preferred to sacrifice merit and excellence on the altar of political expediency.
It is expediency that saw the likes of former Ugandan president Idi Amin crowned by the University of Makerere as a political scholar despite well-documented evidence of his stupidity.